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A smattering of books – January update

Smoke and Mirrors – a short story collection by Neil Gaiman I very much enjoyed this book of short stories. I’ve wanted to try some of Gaiman’s work for a while now, and found this collection while waiting for Coraline to become available at the Library. Gaiman is spooky, funny, morbid, and eclectic. More than one story was inspired by/infused with H.P. Lovecraft themes, which are guaranteed to creep me out.

Ghost Of A Chance by Yasmine Galenorn I keep trying to read this author’s work, since Amazon thinks I should like her. But I just don’t. Maybe it’s just me, but I am not interested in the minute details of the character’s life. Perhaps we could, at some point, get to some action? I couldn’t tell you, because I gave up a few chapters in.

The Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne (Hounded, Hexed and Hammered) Hearne’s touted as a successor to Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden novels, which is a bit premature. He’s good, don’t get me wrong – his protagonist is a 2000 year old Druid who’s on a first name basis with Jesus himself. The Iron Druid series is funny, irreverent, mildly blasphemous (which I always enjoy), and very promising. I think he wrote the series which was then picked up in its entirety for publishing, which meant no long wait time between installments. I’ll definitely see what he does next.

Hell House by Richard Matheson (audiobook) Had I read this, I probably would have given it up as too slow. Listening to it, I was appropriately creeped out. If you’ve seen one of the many adaptations of this story, you know what’s going to happen, but it’s still a pretty good listen.

Lackey, Mercedes – Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight, Arrow’s Fall (Heralds of Valdemar) Lackey is the O.G. of fantasy writing with good reason. I read the Heralds of Valdemar Trilogy as quickly as I could,and thoroughly enjoyed them. For all of the adult themes (child abuse, rape), there’s a lightness to the storytelling that I enjoyed.

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent and The House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett The Magicians is an odd book that incorporates elements of Jane Eyre and other Gothic romances into a massively twisting and turning plot. Ultimately, there are too many sub-plots and character whose story arcs play out to varying degrees of success. I liked it well enough, but gave up less than halfway through The House on Durrow Street.

Poppy Done to Death, A Fool and His Honey, Last Scene Alive,Shakespeare’s Trollop, Shakespeare’s Christmas, Shakespeare’s CounselorOh, Charlaine Harris, you are such a good writer. All anyone ever talks about is your Southern Vampire Series, which is really the least of your works. Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard are superior heroines – especially Lily, who’s terribly damaged yet reinvents herself over the course of the series. Please write more books that are NOT about Sookie Stackhouse!!